Our rotten healthcare system.

Sethius

Crashed out somewhere
Whos everyone with for health insurance? I was with frank and had good success but the price got out of hand. However after my latest stint for the public system, I need to reconsider, this is going to be a long term injury which could of been better handled. Even the surgeon today was upset, his departing words "welcome to the public health system".
 

downunderdallas

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm with HBF in WA, not sure if other states have a not for profit like HBF, I think so? Anyway they have been ok in my experience. My public experience in WA has also been good I must say, the facilities in Royal Perth (the oldest major hospital) are probably not nearly as good as the new ones,certainly the new Childrens Hospital was very flash when took my son there after skateboard incident. I don't think private is a guarantee things will be better handled, maybe the odds are better? I think there are plenty of doctors in WA work in both sectors.
 

shiny

Go-go-gadget-wrist-thingy
Yikes, St Luke’s prices for singles and couples are good as soon as you change to family’s it jumps very high. Shame as cover looks good.
 

Live2DieTrying

Likes Bikes and Dirt
What about the LHC shit I am currently having to look into?
I'm being screwed if either do or don't get private health cover?
I have just turned 31, and will have to get private health before the end of the month, and pay it continuously for 10 years... just to make my private health cover cheaper in the future when i'm an old man??
Or choose not to pay for health insurance, save 3-4k every year, but then my hospital visits will be 2% more expensive year on year for 35 years!

So do I save the 3k anually into a 'just in case' account, or hand it to private insurance, and expect additional charges on top when I wish to use the health cover i am paying for..
 

Sethius

Crashed out somewhere
What about the LHC shit I am currently having to look into?
I'm being screwed if either do or don't get private health cover?
I have just turned 31, and will have to get private health before the end of the month, and pay it continuously for 10 years... just to make my private health cover cheaper in the future when i'm an old man??
Or choose not to pay for health insurance, save 3-4k every year, but then my hospital visits will be 2% more expensive year on year for 35 years!

So do I save the 3k anually into a 'just in case' account, or hand it to private insurance, and expect additional charges on top when I wish to use the health cover i am paying for..
Same boat, 31 in July. Had private health, but they halved my rebates from 800 to 400 and price got so high, so quickly so I ditched it when I changed jobs, but 40 a week seems fairly hefty when I can only get 300 back a year on extras..
 

silentbutdeadly

has some good things to say
What about the LHC shit I am currently having to look into?
I'm being screwed if either do or don't get private health cover?
I have just turned 31, and will have to get private health before the end of the month, and pay it continuously for 10 years... just to make my private health cover cheaper in the future when i'm an old man??
Or choose not to pay for health insurance, save 3-4k every year, but then my hospital visits will be 2% more expensive year on year for 35 years!

So do I save the 3k anually into a 'just in case' account, or hand it to private insurance, and expect additional charges on top when I wish to use the health cover i am paying for..
If you as an individual don't earn more than 90 grand (or combined with your bestie, 180 grand) then you won't be slugged extra at tax time for Medicare.

My suggestion is pay 4 grand per annum into an interest bearing account...and be rigorous about it.

Medicare will look after you if you break yourself and the buffer you accumulate will help reduce the time waiting for things that the public health system will make you wait for.

And if you are frivolous with it in the pursuit of modern hypochondria (which private health insurance encourages) then you'll probably be fine.
 

Calvin27

Eats Squid
I have just turned 31, and will have to get private health before the end of the month, and pay it continuously for 10 years... just to make my private health cover cheaper in the future when i'm an old man??
Or choose not to pay for health insurance, save 3-4k every year, but then my hospital visits will be 2% more expensive year on year for 35 years!
Middle ground. Get a poverty pack private health cover system and bank the rest ofthe money. I'm on one that is about $1k and does precisely nothing except ambulance cover. Works out better since otherwise I'd have to pay MLS.
 

silentbutdeadly

has some good things to say
Middle ground. Get a poverty pack private health cover system and bank the rest ofthe money. I'm on one that is about $1k and does precisely nothing except ambulance cover. Works out better since otherwise I'd have to pay MLS.
We pay only $160 for ambulance cover for the three of us. You are gifting someone $800 for doing absolutely nothing.

How much is your surcharge actually worth? At least if you pay the surcharge you know it's contributing to government services rather than a shareholders dividend...
 

Calvin27

Eats Squid
We pay only $160 for ambulance cover for the three of us. You are gifting someone $800 for doing absolutely nothing.
Isn't that the purpose of the private health system lol? Like I said I only do it because otherwise I have to pay MLS (which strangely is exactly the price of the policy....). I guess the only reason I prefer to pay the insurance than pay the MLS is in the likly event that our healthcare really goes to the US model in which case I would be down lifetime loading despite having paid the same amount to MLS.

But yes I have thought about what you propose many times. Money to desk jockey in high rise office or money to government desk jocky in canberra. Either way the policy requires me to assume the position that in your profile pic.
 

redbruce

Eats Squid
Same boat, 31 in July. Had private health, but they halved my rebates from 800 to 400 and price got so high, so quickly so I ditched it when I changed jobs, but 40 a week seems fairly hefty when I can only get 300 back a year on extras..
Just take out hospital, extras cover is a rip off.

As for public versus private, I've been with the later for my 40+ years working life. It has served me ok overall as the ops I've had weren't considered urgent for public system but impacted my ability to work and play.

eg. Injured my knee (hyperextension) in my 20's. Public system said I wasn't urgent (I could walk with crutches and therefore on restricted work) and on waiting list. Had insurance so had op straight away. Was still off work 3 months recovering but back to skiiing following season, cycling, hiking, etc after building up strength.
5 years ago I WOTB and ended up with G3 ligament damage in shoulder. Public system sorted me initially but Ortho said give it 2-3 months and review. Given damage and my age, physio said get second opinion, which I did (on my private health insurance) and based on his assessment I decided to get op done (private hospital. Turns out the window for most successful op is 6 weeks from accident so public system would have resulted in a more complex and extensive op with reduced recovery prospects.

Many of my work colleagues self insure. Its a lottery though. They are an active bunch and many have footed $14K+ bills for shoulders, knees, etc surgery from accidents and which restricted their work and or recreation activities after becoming impatient with waiting on public system.
 

Sethius

Crashed out somewhere
Intersting you say that, bupa is doing the usual corporate deal thing at work, heard much bad press but I'm going to sit in on it. No one may touch me due to a perminent health issues anyways thus far..
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Its basically blackmail... Defund the public system, and send all the money to private who do less for more overall.

Grrr. I had my hip done private (by the same surgeon who would have done it publicly...) just because I was told a few months wait was on the cards - and I was in too much pain to deal with that.

Or I suspect the months of pain and opiates had just made me give up... Had I not had private cover I am sure I could have whinged enough to get it done quick enough, the amount of pain killers I was on would have made it an urgent case.

I dont have private cover anymore. It was $6K out of pocket anyway fuck you very much... Total con.
 

wesdadude

ウェスド アドゥーデ
I'm bumping this thread because the government wants to underprovision the health service and I earn over their income threshold. I'm considering getting a private health policy but I've got no idea what I'm buying. I know I can get a junk policy that insures me against extra tax or I can select from a buffet of treatments. I've got no idea whether I need to be insured against - to borrow an earlier analogy - T-bone collisions, collisions whilst reversing or rollovers. I've also got no idea how the two health systems interact and which ones will be actually treating various conditions.

My main health concerns are about getting injured whilst climbing or riding my bike or developing a disease such as cancer.

Choice has a nice policy comparison tool (members only) but I'm not sure which boxes to tick. What should I be looking for, how the fuck does this all work?
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
I'm bumping this thread because the government wants to underprovision the health service and I earn over their income threshold. I'm considering getting a private health policy but I've got no idea what I'm buying. I know I can get a junk policy that insures me against extra tax or I can select from a buffet of treatments. I've got no idea whether I need to be insured against - to borrow an earlier analogy - T-bone collisions, collisions whilst reversing or rollovers. I've also got no idea how the two health systems interact and which ones will be actually treating various conditions.

My main health concerns are about getting injured whilst climbing or riding my bike or developing a disease such as cancer.

Choice has a nice policy comparison tool (members only) but I'm not sure which boxes to tick. What should I be looking for, how the fuck does this all work?
No easy answer I think. #1 just went through this. He had an off on his dirt bike which required quite a few stitches, treated local to the scene but wasn't healing. Went to someone local to home who opened the wound and recleaned it, they found some detritus and lo the wound healed properly. He then discovered a quirk in his policy didn't cover retreatment at a new provider. Weird. So after investigation, much talking and frustration I think he is now covered for what he needs. Given his rides are all hours from his home it is likely this scenario will recurr. Anyway, best to call each and ask. But be aware of things like this.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
No easy answer I think. #1 just went through this. He had an off on his dirt bike which required quite a few stitches, treated local to the scene but wasn't healing. Went to someone local to home who opened the wound and recleaned it, they found some detritus and lo the wound healed properly. He then discovered a quirk in his policy didn't cover retreatment at a new provider. Weird. So after investigation, much talking and frustration I think he is now covered for what he needs. Given his rides are all hours from his home it is likely this scenario will recurr. Anyway, best to call each and ask. But be aware of things like this.
Stuff like that is where private healthcare is especially useless - emergency treatment is done in the public system either way. So why pay extra for it...?
 
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